Many of us have faced loosing a job or having a friend or family member who has. The problem is once you loose your job how do you get an new one? The process to find work is not the same as it was even 10 years ago. Remember when pounding the payment was the sure fire way to get your name out there and get hired? It’s not the case as much anymore.

Today, we use online searches and lists to look for work. It may be Monster, Careerbuilder, or Indeed, for job searches. Even newspapers are providing information on their website. Unfortunately, with legitamet job postings there are also many scams and start your own business cons out there. So you still have to be careful. In addition to looking at the normal sites you may also want to look at not for profit companies for job opportunities.

Even when you find a job listing and you go through all the work of creating your cover letter and sending it in with your resume many times you never even get a call back. There are so many people looking for work that businesses can be choosy and non-responsive. If you notice that you are not getting call backs maybe it would help to make a few changes. On many sites they offer to review your resume and make it better. If that doesn’t work have you thought about volunteering? I know if sounds strange but it can be a great way to get your foot in the door.

Many types of companies use volunteers including the Red Cross, Fire Departments, Police Departments, and many other organizations. Before you think about volunteering somewhere identify what you are passionate about. Then start looking for volunteer opportunities that match your passions.

Some of the benefits of volunteering include getting your foot in the door, networking with others, and developing relationships with those in the company or organization. Volunteering in some organizations may only be a couple times a month. You can work around your schedule and look at speeding up the process of getting hired. Now this process still takes time; but if you are patient and you get in it can change your life! Being a volunteer not only helps the company or organization and your community but also has an impact on you.

Check out volunteer opportunities in your area and see how it can improve your chances of a paying job in the future.